Potter County receives funds for AEDs

Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas, center, receives a donation to help with the purchase of defibrillators from Tim McDonald, CEO of Great Plains Ag Credit, left, and Don Thompson, CEO of Cardiology Center of Amarillo.

The Potter County Sheriff's Office recently received $6,000 from Great Plains Project HeartSafe to purchase 10 portable automated external defibrillators.

Project HeartSafe assistance is provided jointly by Great Plains Ag Credit and Cardiology Center of Amarillo. Those who wish to purchase a defibrillator can obtain as much as $600 in assistance, a news release said.

"Time is critical when a person's heart stops," Great Plains CEO Tim McDonald said. "In the rural areas we serve, medical help can be up to an hour away, and many government agencies don't have the budgets to purchase AEDs for their first responders.

"The goal of Great Plains Project HeartSafe is to save lives by making portable AEDs more affordabole and more widely available."

For information about the device and special pricing through the program, visit www.greatplainsagcredit.com/heartsafe, or contact Wally Rogers of Cardiac Science at (505) 205-9460 or email wrogers@cardiacscience.com.